Flush-valve



C/H. WELLS.

FLUSH VALVE. APPLICATION FILED JUNE 19, 1918.

1,309,230. Patented Ju1y'8, 1919'.

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STATES PATENT FFTQFL.

CLARK H. WELLS, OF CEDAR RAPIDS, IOWA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO H. H. RUMBLE, OF NORFOLK, VIRGINIA.

FLUSH-VALVE.

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Application filed June 19, 1918.

To all whom it may concern;

Be it known that I, CLARK H. WELLS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Cedar Rapids, in the county of Linn and State of Iowa, have invented a new and useful Flush-Valve, of which the following is a specification. v

The device forming the subject matter of this application is a valve for a flush tank, and the object of the invention is to improve the valve and the valve-actuating means.

It is within the province of the disclosure to improve generally and to enhance the utility of devices of that type to which the present invention appertains. I

With the above and other objects in view which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention resides in the combination and arrangement of parts and in the details of construction hereinafter described and claimed, it being understood that changes in the precise embodiment of the invention herein disclosed can be made with in the scope of what is claimed, without de parting from the spirit of the invention.

In the accompanying drawings Figure 1 shows in longitudinal section, a device constructed in accordance with the present invention, parts being broken away;

Fig. 2 is a cross section on the line 22 of Fig. 1; r

Fig. 3 is a cross section on the line 33 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 1 is a cross section on the line 4 -1 of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 5 is a sectional detail showing the valve open.

In. carrying out the present invention, there is provided a flush tank 2 which may be located as desired. As shown, but not of necessity, the tank 2 is disposed between the walls 1 of a partition of a building. A pipe 3 is located between the walls 1 and communicates, by means of a T4: and a nipple 5 with the tank 2. A supply pipe 6 is as sembled with the lower end of the pipe 3, the pipe 6 being of smaller diameter than the pipe 3, the purpose of this construction being to reduce the velocity of the water, be fore the water enters the tank 2, thereby avoiding noise. A branch pipe 7 is connected with the T 4 and leads outwardly through one of the walls 1. With the exposed end of the branch 7 a valve casing is Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 8, 1919.

Serial No. 240,816.

connected, the casing being a composite structure. 7

The valve casing embodies an L shaped upper member 8 including a neck 9, and an enlarged lower end 10, the neck being threaded upon the exposed end of the branch 7, or being otherwise connected thereto.

The valve casing includes, further, a tubular lower member 11 having an internal shoulder 12 on which rests a spider 14: including an upstanding rim 15, the member 11 having, at its upper end an outstanding flange 16. A washer 17 rests on the flange 16 of the part 11. A valve seat 18 is superposed on'the washer l7 and abuts against the lower end of the upper member 8 of the valve casing. A coupling 19 is threaded on the lower end of the upper member 8 of the valve casing, and includes a flange 20 which engages beneath the flange 16 on the lower member of the valve casing. The construction is such that the members 8 and 11 of the valve casing are united hermetically by the coupling 19, the seat 18 and therwasher 17 being held in place, and the spider 14 being bound against the shoulder 12. The numeral 21 marks an outlet pipe leading to the water closet or other object to be flushed, the outlet pipe having a flange 22 engaged by the flange 23 of a coupling 24 threaded on the lower end of the member 11 of the valve casing, a gasket 25 being interposed between the flange 22 and the lower end of the member 11.

A reduced stem 26 depends from the neck 9 of the upper member 8 of the valve casing, and into the stem 26 is threaded the neck 27 of an inverted cup-shaped guide 28 having longitudinal grooves 29 on its'inner surface. A hollow valve 30 is mounted to reciprocate within the guide 28 and preferably is made of aluminum or of some other light metal, the valve comprising an upper member 31 and a lower member 32 halved and'threa'ded together as shown at 33, although it is not necessary that the valve be made in two pieces. The lower member 32 of the valve 30 is adapted to cotiperate with the valve seat 18. A reduced stem 34 slidable in the hub of the spider 1 1 is guided for vertical movement thereby. The stem 34 is provided at its lower end with a broadened foot 35 having a pivot opening 36. In one edge of the foot 35 there is an elongated opening or notch 37. The member 11 of the valve casing is supplied with a boss 38 into which is threaded a bearing 39 wherein is journaled a shaft 40 provided at its inner end with an enlarged head 41 having a pin or projection 42 journaled in the opening 36 of the foot 35 of the valve stem. The head 41 has, also, a pin 43 mounted to move in the elongated notch 37 of the foot 35. An operating member 44, preferably in the form of a lever, is disposed eXteriorly of the valve casing and is held on the exposed end of the shaft 40 by means of a nut 45 or otherwise.

When the free end of the lever 44 is swung upwardly, the shaft 40 is rotated, the head 41 being rotated, and the pin 42 effecting a raising of the stem 34, which in turn, raises the valve 30 off the seat 18, the pin 43 moving in the notch 37, and ultimately arriving at the lower end of the notch, to limit the upward swinging movement of the free end of the lever 44. The lever 44 may then be released, the stem 34 moving downwardly and the parts appearing as shown in Fig. 5. Vhen the valve 30 is raised off the seat 18, water from the tank 2 passes through the nipple 5, the T 4 and the branch '7 into the member 8 of the valve casing, the water flowing through the member 11 of the valve casing and thence passing into the water closet by way of the outlet pipe 21. The water holds the valve 30 raised, as shown in Fig. 5, and in this connection it is to be observed that the guide 28 projects the valve from the downwardly pushing water. When the water in the tank 2 is depleted, the valve 30 drops upon the seat 18, as shown in Fig. 1. Since the guide 28 is internally grooved at 29, the air or water can flow out of the guide when the valve 30 is raised, and can enter the guide when the valve drops, thereby permitting the necessary vertical movement of the valve. Since the inlet includes the relatively small pipe 6, the water does not enter the tank 2 and flow through the pipe 21 fast enough to hold the valve 30 elevated after the tank has been emptied.

It will be obvious that by removing the coupling 19, the constituent members 8 and 11 of the valve casing may be separated, to permit an adjustment or a repair of the valve 30 and to permit a renewal of the seat 18 or the washer 17.

The lever 44 has been shown as projecting toward the right in Fig. 1. Suppose, however, that conditions are such that it will be desirable for the lever to extend to the left. Under such circmnstances, the lever may be shifted on the exposed end of the shaft 39, to assume the desired position, the stem 34 being rotated through an arc of 180 degrees, in order that the pin 43 may cooperate with the pivot opening 36, and to the end that the pin 42 may cooperate with the notch 37.

The structure forming the subject matter of this application is designed to be used in connection with a reservoir holding enough for one flush only. The tank or reservoir 2 may be of the self-sealing type, or of air cushion construction, these details having no bearing on the present invention, and lying within the skill of the person installing the device.

Attention is directed to the fact that the valve 30 is located in the outlet and may be placed at any desired distance from the tank 2. WVhen the valve 30 rests on the seat 18, the pipe 21 is empty below the seat. The shaft 40 therefore, does not lie in a body of water, and leakage about the shaft, and many other disadvantages, are avoided.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed is 1. In a device of the class described, a tank having an outlet; a seat in the outlet; an inverted cup-shaped guide in the outlet and spaced peripherally from the inner surface of the outlet, the guide having an internal longitudinal groove; a buoyant valve slidably supported in the guide and cooperating with the seat; a stem slidably supported in the outlet and adapted to engage the valve; mechanism in the outlet coacting with the stem to move the valve off the seat; and means for operating said mechanism from a point exterior to the outlet.

2. In a crank and pitman connection, a support; a. stem mounted to slide and to rotate therein and including a partprovided with a pivot opening and with an elongated opening; a rotary member journaled in the support and provided with projections, one of which is journaledin the pivot opening, the other of which is movable in the elongated opening; and a laterally projecting handle connected with the rotary member.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto afiiXed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

CLARK H. WVELLS.

Witnesses L. J. DERFLINGER, F. F. Barns.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, I). G. 

